New Delhi: The Border Security Force (BSF) has strongly criticised the Railways for sending a train with "unhygienic and dilapidated" coaches and causing a 72-hour delay in transporting troops from the Northeast to Jammu and Kashmir for deployment ahead of the Amarnath Yatra.
The delay jeopardised their scheduled induction by June 12, the BSF said in a letter.
Troops Stuck Due to Delayed Special Train
In a formal complaint to the Agartala station manager on Tuesday, June 10, a commandant-level BSF officer flagged the “inexcusable delay” by the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) in providing a CAPF special train, despite it being requisitioned well in advance. The train, originally scheduled to be placed at Tripura’s Udaipur Railway Station on June 6, was made available only by 9 June at 6:30 PM.
“The entire Battalion was supposed to be inducted and deployed by 12th June 2025 as per directions of MHA,” the letter said. The delay affected the movement of 13 companies, nearly 1,300 personnel, from various Northeast locations, including Tripura, Guwahati, Mizoram and Cachar.
Railways Responds, Says Issue Resolved
Responding to the controversy, NFR’s Chief Public Relations Officer KK Sharma told ThePrint that the poorly maintained coaches, seen in widely circulated social media videos, were meant for periodic overhauling and were mistakenly boarded by CAPF personnel. “Both of these coaches were detached in Agartala and all the other concerns and objections of CAPF personnel have been resolved,” Sharma told the publication.
Sources confirmed the train eventually left for Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday evening. The BSF, which has the highest number of companies (130) deployed for this year’s Amarnath Yatra, has raised serious concerns about troop welfare and logistical preparedness, especially after the deadly Pahalgam terror attack earlier this year.
